CHAPTER II. 

 BRANCH ARTHROPODA. 



CLASS INSECTA (Continued}. 

 ORDER LEPIDOPTERA. 



The Monarch, or Milkweed, Butterfly. This common 

 butterfly is of a brown color, with black veins and wing 

 borders. There are about two rows of white spots in the 

 black border. This butterfly has a wing spread of about 

 four inches. The larva is greenish yellow, with distinct 

 bands of shiny black, and feeds on milkweeds. The chrys- 

 alid is suspended by the tip, as shown in Fig. 17. 



One of the most noticeable features of the butterfly is 

 the presence of scales on the wings and body. The scales 

 are modified hairs, and on the body they are slender. The 

 scales shed water, strengthen the wing, and serve as an 

 ornament. The wings are large, and in flying act together 

 as one wing, the wing motion being slow. 



Another distinctive character is the long coiled sucking 

 tube by which the butterfly sucks nectar from the flowers. 

 When not in use, this tube is coiled like a watch spring 

 and concealed between the labial palps. The sucking tube 

 consists of the two maxillae, much lengthened and each 

 grooved along its inner surface, so that when the two are 

 closely applied to each other they form a tube. The man- 

 dibles are but slightly developed. 



In September or October great swarms of these butter- 

 flies may be seen, and this is a good time to collect them. 



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